Cruise Industry Hosts International Volunteer Day Event in Florida to Mark Year Long Commitment to Service

More Than 100 Employee Volunteers Clean Up Miami's North Shore Park

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To mark International Volunteer Day, more than 100 employees from cruise lines in South Florida, including Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Lines and Costa Cruises joined together to help clean and beautify the North Shore Park in Miami for the continued enjoyment of locals and vacationers.

Employees from the participating cruise lines were also joined by a number of the cruise industry's local partners, including PortMiami, Intercruises, Waste Management, Lloyd's Register, Survival Craft, MTN Satellite Communications, and HandsOn Miami. Together, they helped restore the park by gardening, restoring a pathway, and repainting a fence around the perimeter of the park.

This one event is just one example of how the global cruise industry has year-long activities where employees can step outside of the office or off the cruise ship for a day to give back to port communities worldwide. Cruise lines also extend volunteer and philanthropic opportunities to guests, from entire cruise vacations that are dedicated to charitable causes to cruise lines that offer hands-on volunteer excursions when they dock in port communities. In 2013, the industry has provided thousands of volunteer hours to such causes at community events and programs worldwide.

"We take great pride in the relationships we have with the communities where our employees live and work and the nearly 600 ports around the world that our member lines visit," said Christine Duffy, President and CEO of CLIA. "While December is a good time to give back and reflect on our efforts over the past year, our members actively support these port communities all year long – through charitable donations, volunteer service and cultural preservation programs."

About CLIA Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is the world's largest cruise industry trade association with representation in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australasia. CLIA represents the interests of cruise lines, travel agents, port authorities and destinations, and various industry business partners before regulatory and legislative policy makers. CLIA is also engaged in travel agent training, research and marketing communications to promote the value and desirability of cruise holiday vacations with thousands of travel agency and travel agent members. CLIA's Associate Member and Executive Partner programs include the industry's leading providers of supplies and services that help cruise lines provide a safe, environmentally-friendly and enjoyable holiday vacation experience for millions of passengers every year. For more information on CLIA, the cruise industry, and CLIA-member cruise lines and travel agencies, visit www.cruising.org. CLIA can also be followed on the Cruise Lines International Association's Facebook and Twitter fan pages, and CEO Christine Duffy can be followed@CLIACEO and cruising.org/ceoblog.